Last Train Home
by FallenDarkAngel105
Summary: When Spencer Reid caught the last train home after a long case in Seattle he never expected to meet Emily O'Malley, a tough as nails, single mother with a heart of gold and a mischievous side. Spencer never dreamed he'd find someone again but maybe these two forces could be the happy ending the other had been searching for. Spencer Reid/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**The first chapter in an attempt to write a Criminal Minds fan fiction. I've been toying with this idea for a while and have finally decided to publish it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing save for Emily, her son and their story. **

**Hope you enjoy this first chapter. Set in-between Boxed In and If The Shoe Fits from Season 10. **

It had been a long week. Emily O'Malley stepped onto the empty Metro at two in the morning and sat down on one of the seats, kicking off her heels and ran a hand through her black hair with a relieved sigh. It had been a long night and she was slightly drunk and incredibly tired. Her best friend Alex had insisted that she join their circle of friends for a night of drinking and dancing.

A tall, lanky man jumped onto the train just beating the doors. He panted, resting his hands on his knees before taking the seat opposite her. Emily eyed him over her book. He was attractive with sandy brown hair and warm brown eyes, he was dressed in a pair of grey trousers with a purple shirt and a knitted sweater vest of a darker grey, a black tie around his neck sat slightly crooked with the top button of his shirt undone.

Emily licked her lips, a bad habit that she'd had since she was a teenager and dived in her bag for her chapstick. She put the stuff on and put it back in the bag, running a hand through her hair and groaned. "I'm never doing tequila again." She complained to herself and pulled a bottle of water out of her bag.

The train jolted and shuddered to a halt. Emily squeaked and fell off her seat, spilling the rest of her water all over herself and banging her head on the floor.

A snort of laughter made Emily look up.

The man placed a hand over his mouth. "I'm so sorry." He cleared his throat. "Are you ok?" He offered her a hand with a smile.

Emily smiled. "I'm going to have a killer headache tomorrow and my ego has taken a serious bruising but I'll be fine." She accepted his hand and got to her feet. "You must think I'm a right idiot." She sat back down and pulled off her jacket. Emily reached into her bag and pulled out a hair tie, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"No." The man shook his head.

Emily rubbed her hands together. "I really hope we haven't broken down. Last time I got stuck for eight hours with a woman that had just broken up with her boyfriend. I spent eight hours comforting a complete stranger."

The man smiled. "Well you don't have to comfort me. I mean I er… I don't… I haven't…" He blushed and cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"I get you and it kind of ended on a good note. She's now my best female friend." Emily bit her lip. "And the reason I'm in this state." She motioned to her wet shirt. "Pleased to meet you, Emily O'Malley." Emily offered him her hand.

"Spencer Reid." He shook her hand.

When the young woman had fallen off her seat Spencer had tried really hard not to laugh but he couldn't help it. She was pretty with long black hair and blue eyes, dressed in dark wash jeans that were tight and hugged her hips and a dark red leather jacket over a sheer black top that was modest but revealed her shape perfectly.

"Nice to meet you Spencer Reid." Emily smiled at him.

Spencer swallowed, her smile was really pretty and made her blue eyes sparkle. "You too. O'Malley… Irish?" He asked her.

Emily nodded. "We moved here when I was six. What about you, local?"

Spencer shook his head. "I grew up in Vegas and moved here mainly for my job." He explained. "I work as a behaviour analyst for the BAU with the FBI."

"Neat." Emily crossed her legs underneath her.

"What do you do?" Spencer asked her curiously. He was guessing she could be a teacher or a lawyer, maybe a doctor.

Emily bit her lip. "I'm a tattoo artist slash lounge bar singer."

Spencer blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. It pays the rent and I can do what I love." Emily shrugged.

"Wow… Do you have any…?" Spencer trailed off.

Emily smiled. "Ink? Yeah I have a few."

Spencer didn't understand tattoos or why people found them attractive and the thought of Emily having scribblings on her body put him off. Perhaps she wasn't the woman he first thought she was.

Emily rubbed the back of her neck. "I could kill for a double bacon cheese right now. And I have a lecture tomorrow." She complained.

"A lecture?" Spencer asked.

"When I'm not singing or working, I'm trying to get a BA in English Literature. I went right into my job from high school and my situation wasn't called for college but things are steadier now and I wanted to do what I love. Dream is to get my teaching degree."

Spencer nodded. "What brings you out tonight?"

Emily licked her lips. "My friend Alex demanded I joined him and our brat pack out for the night. I've been really busy and it's been a while but an outing means tequila which is never a good idea." She admitted. "What about you?"

"We just got back from a case in Seattle." Spencer told her.

Emily nodded.

A silence fell on the train.

Emily cleared her throat and took her phone out of her bag which had sounded inside. "Hello." She answered the phone.

"Hey Em. James is asleep, I'm just double checking you're ok with me taking him to that football game on Saturday." Her ex Matt said down the phone.

Emily played with the end of her ponytail. "Of course it is." She smiled. "And you're ok getting him to school tomorrow?"

"Of course." Matt agreed.

"Thanks Matt." Emily smiled looking down. "Let me know the details about Saturday." Emily yawned and shook her head.

"Are you not home yet?" Matt asked.

Emily sighed. "Train broke down. I'll text you when I get home. Give my love to Amelia and our baby boy a big hug." She instructed.

"Will do." Matt paused. "Night Em."

"Night Matty." Emily hung up the phone and put it back in her bag.

Spencer glanced at her. "Your husband?"

Emily laughed. "No, no, no. Er Matt is my ex high school boyfriend. We haven't been together in eight years." She admitted. "We're just forever tied by a broken condom on prom night. James is eight." Emily pulled up a photo and showed Spencer.

Spencer looked at the photo of a little boy sat on a park bench next to Emily. "He looks like you." He passed back the phone.

"Thanks." Emily smiled. "He's my world. It's been the little guy and me for a long time."

"You and Matt…"

Emily shook her head. "No, I made him go to college. He'd gotten a full scholarship to law school at Princeton and I wasn't going to let him throw that away. We both knew it wasn't going to work after high school. I was on my way to NYU and we weren't right for each other. Matt for his part did everything he could to support me and I had my family behind me so it worked out fine in the end. I've never regretted any of it."

Spencer was shocked. Maybe he had been wrong about this woman twice now. "That's quite the story." He offered her a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I tend to over share when I'm drunk." She admitted.

The train shuddered and slowly came back to life moving down the track.

Emily sighed. "I may get some sleep after all."

Spencer nodded. "I can't believe we've been here forty seven minutes."

"Time flies when you're having fun." Emily smiled at him.

"Yes." Spencer agreed.

There was another stretch of silence.

"Emily." Spencer cleared his throat. "Would you like to… go for coffee sometime?"

Emily blinked. "You want to go for coffee with me?" She asked in shock.

Spencer nodded. "I'd like to get to know you better… If you want to."

"I'd love to." Emily smiled brightly and reached in her bag pulling out a pen. "Let me give you my number." She took his hand and scribbled her phone number on the back of it. "Call me sometime."

The train slowed down.

Emily stood up, picking up her shoes and bag. "Well this is my stop. It was nice to meet you Spencer." She held onto the pole until the train came to a complete stop.

"You too Emily." Spencer agreed.

Emily stepped off the train and vanished from view as the train doors closed and the train continued on down the track.

Spencer looked down at the number on the back of his hand and quickly keyed it into his phone, saved for a later date when he'd find the courage to call her. It had been one year, four months, three weeks and six days since Maeve had been taken from him and although he wasn't sure he could move on, perhaps he could try.

**So that's the first chapter. I'm not 100% sure of how much time has passed so I made that little bit up but I'm guessing it's been at least a year. If anyone does know more about how much time has passed let me know and I'll change it but I couldn't find anything helpful on the internet. Hope you all enjoyed my first chapter. Stay tuned for more on the story. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my dears. Thank you so much for following, favouriting and reviewing. Here is another chapter just for you. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing save for Emily and my other OCs. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

As she expected, Emily woke the next day with a splitting headache, putting her in a grumpy mood. After a quick shower, a bottle of water, breakfast and aspirin, Emily felt almost perfect. Checking she had everything she needed in her bag and left her apartment. Arriving at college she stopped at her favourite coffee shop just around the corner from campus and ordered her usual toffee latte and made her way to her lecture. After class Emily did some grocery shopping and did the cleaning before prepping dinner and heading out again to pick James up from school.

"Afternoon Emily."

Emily smiled. "Good Afternoon Abigail." She replied politely.

Abigail Drew had a daughter the same age as James at the school, her husband was extremely rich and Abigail was the Queen Bee of the soccer mums. And she loved to look down her nose at Emily and her lifestyle.

When Emily had become pregnant and decided she would keep the baby, her parents had given her her college fund to buy an apartment and with her savings added bought her son a place at the best school possible. Matt then agreed to pay for his uniform, equipment and anything else he might need for school. It was a system that worked and Emily was happy with.

James ran out of school with a huge smile on his face and hugged his mother tightly.

Emily smiled and hugged him back. "Hello sweetie. Did you have a good day?" She asked taking his hand and they walked down the street.

James nodded. "Yep. We made rockets in science and Ms Hemming liked my story that I did for English." He smiled brightly.

"Well that's great." Emily told him. "We're having burgers for dinner."

"Yum." James grinned at her. "Can we have ice cream for dessert?"

Emily pressed her lips together. "Hmm I'll have to think about that." She winked at him.

Mother and son arrived home. "Ok homework first." Emily instructed sitting down at the kitchen table and James handed her his homework journal. She turned to the correct date and checked what he had to do tonight. "Right, you've got a maths worksheet and a geography worksheet." Emily looked at her son.

James nodded and opened his bag, getting out his homework.

Emily talked through the worksheets with him and then started dinner whilst he completed them, offering guidance when he got stuck. Emily hummed to herself whilst she cooked, when her mobile phone began to ring on the kitchen side.

"Hello." Emily answered the phone turning around to lean against the kitchen counter.

"Hello. Emily? It's Spencer Reid… From the train."

Emily smiled. "Oh yes. Hi."

"Hi. I er… I was wondering if you were free for that cup of coffee tomorrow?" Spencer asked rubbing the back of his neck and walked up and down his living room.

"I'm at work but my lunch break is at one." Emily answered playing with a strand of hair and licked her lips.

Spencer nodded and smiled. "One would be great."

"Great." Emily answered. "Er… I have your number now. I could text you the address of my work place and we could meet there. There's a great deli not far." Emily told him.

"Yeah, that'll be fine." Spencer agreed. "I'll see you then."

"Yes. I'll see you then." Emily hung up the phone and quickly added the phone number, texting Spencer the address of her workplace.

James looked up from his homework. "Who was that Mum?" He asked her.

Emily ruffled his hair. "Just a friend. How're those fractions?" She asked lightly resting her chin on top of his head.

James nodded. "They're good."

Emily served up dinner and they sat down together to eat.

"Mum. Do you think you'll ever meet someone like Dad has Amelia?" James asked suddenly.

Emily's eyes widened and she set down her beer, tilting her head to the side. "Why do you ask that sweetie?" She asked him curiously.

James looked down at his plate. "I just wondered. Don't you get lonely?"

"Why would I get lonely? I've got you." She kissed the top of his head. "You finished?' She asked him looking down at his empty plate.

James nodded.

Emily smiled. "Well you're on dish duty tonight."

"Ok Mum." James grabbed the plates and headed over to the sink, using his special stool to stand on to clean the dishes.

Afterwards mother and son sat on the couch and watched a film together before it was time for James to go to bed.

Emily read her son a chapter of the fourth Harry Potter book before kissing him on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too." James curled up under the covers and closed his eyes.

Emily left the room, closing the door behind her and walked back into the living room. She settled down on the couch and turned on the television and found a rerun of an episode of Doctor Who and settled down to watch it before going to bed.

**Last Train Home**

The next day Emily dropped James off at school and headed round to her workplace. She walked into the door, breathing in the familiar scent of ink and leather.

"Morning Toby." She greeted her boss hanging up her coat and scarf.

"Morning Emily." Toby greeted her. "You've got three appointments this morning. An arm, a shoulder and a thigh." He told her handing her the book.

Emily nodded taking the book. "Thanks. I'll put the kettle on." She stepped into the back of the studio. She hummed to herself making a coffee for Toby and a tea for herself. Her phone sounded in her pocket and she pulled it out.

**Good morning Emily. Looking forward to seeing you today. Spencer Reid. **

Emily smiled to herself and typed a reply.

**Good morning to you too. Looking forward to lunch too. Have a good morning sweetie. **

Emily frowned and shook her head, deleting the message and licked her lips.

**Looking forward to lunch too. Have a good morning. Emily. **

Emily sighed and deleted the message again.

**Me too. Enjoy your morning. Em. **

Emily smiled and sent the message. She chewed her lip and tapped her hand against the counter. What if he thought her short message meant she wasn't as interested. Emily chuckled to herself and shook her head. It was just coffee and she barely knew the man. But then again it had been a long time since anyone had asked her out anywhere even if it was just for coffee and Spencer seemed like a lovely man. There was nothing wrong with being a little excited about the prospect but she knew not to get her hopes up. Maybe they'd just end up being really good friends.

**Last Train Home**

Spencer checked his phone when it pinged to say Emily had replied.

**Me too. Enjoy your morning. Em.**

He frowned. Should he reply? No. She was at work and he didn't want to bother her. Today was his last day off before he was back to work. Hotch had given them two days off after the Seattle case to unwind and catch up on sleep.

Spencer spent the morning reading to try and take his mind off how nervous he was about seeing Emily. He'd never really done the dating thing and he didn't really know if this was a date. No it was just coffee. He was going to try and get to know her. She probably wouldn't like him, they were two very different people and they might be friends but he couldn't see it being more than that. Spencer wasn't even sure if he wanted something more. His mind went to Maeve and he felt his stomach twist in knots and swallowed. Was he betraying her memory by seeing Emily? Spencer glanced at the clock and saw it was ten o'clock. He sighed and picked up his phone and hit call.

"Hello."

"JJ. It's Spencer."

"Spencer." JJ replied. "Are you alright?"

Spencer sighed. "I met a girl on the train and I invited her out for coffee today but I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing. Am I insulting Maeve by moving on? I don't know what I'm doing and if it's the right thing. I mean it's just coffee but…"

"Spence. Spence," JJ cut him off. "Slow down. You met someone?"

Spencer exhaled slowly. "Yes. I met her on the train home the night we got back from Seattle." He explained. "And I invited her to go for coffee."

"And what did she say?" JJ asked.

"She said yes. I'm meeting her today at one." Spencer rubbed the back of his neck. "What if I'm dishonouring Maeve? Is it too soon? I'm not sure what's going to happen. I just don't know what to do." He shook his head.

JJ smiled. "Spence. Do you like this woman?"

Spencer thought for a moment. He had liked talking to Emily on the train, she had a bright personality that he wanted to see more of. He wanted to get to know her. "I want to get to know her better." He admitted.

"Then do that." JJ advised. "As for your worries about dishonouring Maeve, I think not trying to live your life and find happiness would be more of a dishonour than to do nothing. There are no rules to this Spence. You just have to do what you feel ready to do."

Spencer smiled, thinking over JJ's advised. "Thanks JJ."

JJ smiled. "That's ok. Why don't you come by afterwards. Henry has been begging me to invite you over, he hasn't seen you in a while."

Spencer nodded. "Yes, I'd like that. I'll be there around half two."

"That'll be great. Have a good time, just be yourself." JJ told him.

"I don't want to scare her off." Spencer joked.

JJ rolled her eyes. "I don't think you will. I'll see you around half two."

Spencer nodded. "I'll see you then. Thanks."

"Anytime Spence." JJ hung up the phone.

Feeling better, Spencer went back to his book and tried not to overthink things.

**Last Train Home**

Emily hummed to herself as she worked on the young man's shoulder tattoo of a hawk in a celtic style. It was one of her nicer designs. She cleaned the tattoo and bandaged it, before giving him the aftercare kit and walked him over to the cash register. The man paid and left her a rather nice tip. Emily went about cleaning up when the door opened and a nervous looking Spencer walked into the studio.

"Good afternoon, are you my one o'clock?" Toby asked Spencer.

Emily bit her lip trying not to laugh at the shocked and scared look that passed over Spencer's face.

Spencer shook his head. "Oh no. No. I'm er… We…" He motioned to Emily.

Emily walked over. "Spencer and I are going out for lunch." She smiled at Toby.

Toby blinked. "Oh. Well… That's nice. Go enjoy yourselves."

"I'll bring you back your usual." Emily put on her coat and scarf.

Spencer opened the door for her and the two stepped out into the chilly November air. The two walked a little ways down the street before Spencer managed to speak again.

"Have you had a good morning?"

Emily nodded. "Not bad. I got a nice tip from my last customer which was nice. How about you?" She asked him, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets to keep them warm.

Spencer swallowed. "It was good. I managed to read a book."

"You read an entire book in one morning?" Emily asked in shock.

Spencer nodded. "I can read 20,000 words a minute."

Emily gave him a warm smile. "And I thought my 8,000 a minute was impressive."

Spencer felt his cheeks flush.

"What was the book?" Emily asked him curiously.

"It's called Le Morte d'Arthur." Spencer replied. "It was first published in 1485 by William Caxton and was written by Sir Thomas Malory. The book itself holds traditional tales about the legendary King Arthur and his court. It's perhaps today considered the best-known work of Arthurian Literature in English." Spencer explained.

Emily nodded. "I personally prefer The English Merlin which was edited by Henry B. Wheatley for the Early English Text Society between 1865 and 1869. It's was written some time around the mid-fifteenth century and while it is like Sir Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur it's actually a translation of the thirteenth century Vulgate Estoire de Merlin and therefore covers Merlin's birth to his imprisonment by Nimue." Emily bit her lip. "Sorry, I could talk Arthurian legend for hours. It's been a subject of interest since my father gave me a book entitled King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table." She felt herself blushing.

Spencer shook his head. "No, it's no problem. I'm normally the one who rambles. Most of the time my work colleagues have to tell me to stop because I tend to ramble on for too long about uninteresting subjects." His eyes widened. "I mean subjects they find uninteresting not that I find you uninteresting." He shook his head.

Emily laughed. "Relax Spencer. I promise I don't bite." She winked at him. "Ah here it is." She motioned to the shop where a few people were sat at tables eating and talking.

Spencer quickly reached out and opened the door for her.

"And here I was thinking all the gentlemen had disappeared." Emily teased him stepping into the warm shop.

Spencer followed her in and the scent of warm, fresh bread and coffee greeted him.

The two of them walked over to a free table in the corner and sat down. Emily shrugged off her coat and hung it over the back of her chair, pulling off her scarf and placed it with her coat. She looked around the place with fondness in her eyes. "Toby dragged me here on my first day for lunch and we've been regulars ever since." She explained.

Spencer nodded. "If you don't mind me asking… How did you get the job?"

"Not at all." Emily shook her head. "Toby was my older brother Johnny's best friend growing up and when Johnny moved to Texas to be with his now wife and open up a studio there, Toby needed a new artist. He knew I needed a job and that I was a pretty good drawer and offered to pay for my training and give me a job at the end of it." She explained.

Spencer nodded. "Is your brother your only sibling?"

Emily laughed and shook her head. "I wish. I have nine siblings. Seven brothers and two sisters. And I'm the baby." She told him. "What about you any siblings?"

"No." Spencer shook his head. "My mother said she didn't need to beat perfection."

Emily smiled. "Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman."

Spencer nodded. "She is."

A waiter walked over to their table. "Emily. Sitting in today? And who is your charming friend?" He asked looking at Spencer.

"Tony this is Spencer. Spencer this is the Tony. The owner of this fine establishment." Emily introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Spencer gave the man a smile.

Tony grinned back. "Any friend of Emily's is a friend of mine. What can I get you two today?" He asked them.

Emily looked down at her menu. "I'll have the pork special with a gingerbread latte please Tony." She set the menu back in it's holder.

"Excellent choice." Tony winked at her. "And for you sir?"

Spencer looked down at the menu. "Er… A black coffee and the spicy chicken sub please."

Tony nodded. "Excellent. I'll be back with your drinks in a moment, you food should be about ten minutes." He left them alone.

Spencer smiled at Emily. "I see what you mean about being a regular."

"Good food is a weakness of mine." Emily admitted. "But nothing beats my mother's cooking. Going home for a visit is worth it just for the food."

"Your family are close?" Spencer asked.

Emily nodded. "We have our moments but for the most part we're very close for such a big family. The holidays are always fun though. What about you?"

Spencer bit his lip. "I'm close to my mother. My father walked out on use when I was ten and it was just us but it was difficult. You see my mother is schizophrenic. I eventually had her institutionalised when I was eighteen because I just couldn't look after her by myself." Spencer shook his head. "But she's recently been getting better she went on a trip to see the Grand Canyon recently." Spencer explained unsure of how Emily would take this information about his family.

Emily nodded. "I don't think I can even imagine how hard that must have been. But I stand by my earlier statement, your mother sounds like a wonderful woman and I'm glad she's getting better." She smiled at him. "Did she enjoy her trip?"

Spencer felt his heart swell slightly. "She did. She sent me several postcards and a collectible miniature version of the Canyon which now sits on my bookshelf."

Just then Tony arrived with their coffees. "There you are. One gingerbread latte and one black coffee. Food should be about five minutes or so. Enjoy."

Emily picked up her mug and smiled at the man. "Thanks Tony."

Tony walked away again.

Spencer instantly reached for the sugar and poured his usual large amount into the cup.

"Would you like some coffee with your sugar?" Emily teased.

Spencer flushed. "I have a bit of a sweet tooth."

Emily nodded. "I can see. Although my weakness is ice cream. A trait I seem to have passed on to my son. There's this ice cream parlour, we go there twice a month and I bring home plenty to stock the freezer in-between visits."

"How is your son?" Spencer asked taking a sip of his coffee.

"He's good. Doing well in school and happy and healthy which is all I can hope for." Emily answered. "Growing up fast though."

Spencer nodded. "How old is he again?"

Emily swallowed a gulp of coffee. "He's eight."

"My godson Henry is turning eight soon." Spencer tried to relate.

"It's a tough age." Emily joked.

They both laughed and there was a pause while they both sipped their coffee and thought of new topics of conversation. Luckily they were saved from the dip in conversation by Tony arriving with the food. Conversation flowed to talking about the quality of the food and Spencer nervously began to ramble about the history of the sandwich before catching himself and turning a deep shade of red.

"I'm sorry. I told you I have a tendency to ramble." He apologised.

Emily shook her head. "Not at all. Your ramblings are far more interesting than the discovery channel any day." She smiled at him.

They split the bill at Emily's insistence and left the shop about an hour later, full and chatting happily between themselves. Spencer walked Emily back to the studio and they stood outside, Emily clutching a takeout bag with a sandwich for Toby.

"I had a really nice time." Emily told Spencer.

Spencer nodded. "Me too." He looked at the ground. "Could I see you again?" He asked. "We could have dinner and catch a movie or something. I know a really nice Indian restaurant. That is if you'd like to?" Spencer asked her.

Emily nodded. "I'd love to. James is with his Dad this weekend so that would be fine."

"Great, I'll check the times and text you?" Spencer asked her.

"Yeah, that sounds great." Emily agreed. "Well I best get back in there." She jerked her head at the studio, before taking a small step forward and pecked Spencer on the cheek. "I'll await your text." She opened the door and walked into the studio.

Spencer stood on the sidewalk and smiled to himself. He checked his watch and realised he was going to be late to see JJ if he didn't hurry and quickly made his way towards the Metro station.

**Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter just for you. Thanks for all your reviews, favourites and follows. **

**Enjoy the new chapter.**

Spencer found he grew more and more nervous the closer Friday approached. The week had been case light and that had meant his brain focused mostly on the impending evening. He hadn't told anyone but JJ about Emily not wanting to suffer the teasing he'd probably get from Morgan and he knew Penelope would probably do a full background check which he didn't want, he wanted to get to know Emily himself. Since he'd seen Emily on Monday, the two had kept in contact via phone and decided to meet at the Italian restaurant that was around the corner from the cinema where they were going to see a film after dinner.

Spencer left his desk and headed for his fifth cup of coffee of the day. He was halfway through making it when JJ walked into the kitchen area.

JJ smiled at him. "You ok Spence?"

Spencer nodded, adding another spoon of sugar to the cup.

"So you're seeing Emily tonight?" JJ asked with a knowing look.

"Yes." Spencer smiled. "We're meeting at the restaurant at seven and then we're going to see a film. We thought we'd just see what was on when we arrive." Spencer added another spoonful of sugar.

JJ nodded. "That sounds like fun."

Spencer nodded.

"Spence, what's wrong?" JJ asked.

"I'm not sure. I suppose I'm waiting for something to go wrong." Spencer glanced at his friend and picked up the mug of coffee. "And I know it's an irrational thing to do but I can't help it. I've never done this before and with what happened with Maeve, I'm not sure I should bring my bad luck onto someone else. And she has a son. What if he doesn't like me and I cause problems between her and him? Or even worse an UnSub goes after them because of me, what if I get them killed or even worse I get an eight year olds mother killed? What if…" Spencer rambled, listing off all of his fears.

JJ placed a hand on his arm. "Spence." She cut him off. "You like Emily?"

Spencer bit his lip and nodded.

"And I think she must like you too. Does she know about your job?" JJ asked.

Spencer nodded again.

JJ smiled. "Then you have to let her decide. From what you told me on Monday she's a very independent, smart woman and I think she knows what's best for her and for her little boy. You can't spend your life looking only for the bad, you've been through a horrible thing and our job means we are surrounded by disgusting things but we have to remember the good in the world." She told him. "Take things one step at a time but don't run away because something bad might happen. It's a possibility, any one of us could be hit by a bus tomorrow, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. Everything could be fine."

Spencer ran a hand through his hair. "You're right."

"Of course I am." JJ nudged him. "Just be yourself and enjoy the good."

"Thanks JJ." Spencer gave her a genuine smile.

"Anytime Spence and I want all the details on how the night went." JJ poked him in the chest with a smile.

**Last Train Home**

Emily was nervous about tonight. She'd not been on a date since high school and she wasn't sure what to expect. She got home from work around five and had two hours before she was meeting Spencer. Emily took a shower and washed her hair before opening her closet for something to wear. She found a pair of burgundy skinny jeans that were comfortable but fit her perfectly and made her ass look good. Emily stood in her room dressed in her jeans and bra searching for a top to wear. She ran her fingers over a sheer white tunic top with light pink and silver beads around the neckline with short sleeves. Emily braided her hair back into one long braid and put on mascara and a clear lip gloss. Emily checked her reflection in the mirror and nodded to herself. Leaving her room she grabbed her bag and checked everything she'd need was inside. Emily left the apartment and got in her car, deciding on driving rather than public transport tonight.

Spencer was already at the restaurant when Emily arrived and she waved to him through the window before entering the warm building. A waitress showed her to the table and took her coat.

"Hi." Emily sat down.

"Hi." Spencer greeted her.

"Have you been here long?" Emily asked him.

Spencer shook his head. "Did you find here ok?" Spencer asked.

Emily nodded. "Your directions were very useful. I have a terrible sense of direction and zero co-ordination. I once got lost in Walmart." She admitted with a smile.

Spencer frowned. "How did you get lost in Walmart?"

"I was four and my mother had taken me shopping with her in an attempt to get me to sleep since I hadn't slept because of nightmares for about three days. It was then we discovered I had a tendency to sleepwalk. Mum was talking to a sales clerk and I unclipped myself from the pushchair and wandered off. This sales clerk found me in the toy section playing with this stuffed elephant and not knowing what was going on shook me when I didn't respond to him, this woke me up and I freaked out. Mum then found me and to stop me from crying bought me the elephant which now belongs to my son." Emily explained the story.

"Have you always suffered from sleepwalking?" Spencer asked.

Emily nodded. "It got rather bad when I was seventeen and my parents sent me for very long therapy sessions and that did the trick after I nearly got arrested for joy riding." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I got out of the house and hot wired my Dad's van. I was halfway to school when the police pulled me over."

Spencer nodded. "Sleep walking is actually very common in children, up to 30% will experience sleepwalking at some point. And although the behaviour is thought more common in children, the number of adults affected is actually higher than first assumed. An American study done in 2012 found that out of 15,929 adults, 573 which is 3.6%, reported having at least one sleepwalking episode in the previous year."

A waiter walked over to them. "Hello, I'm Joshua and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you two something to drink?" He asked them.

They both nodded.

"A lemonade please." Emily ordered.

"Make that two please." Spencer nodded.

"Ok." The waiter handed them each a menu. "I'll be back with your drinks in a moment." He walked off.

Emily turned back to Spencer. "How has the rest of your week been?"

"It's been good. Work is slow but in a way that's a good thing, so we've just been looking through case files that are sent in on smaller cases and offering our advice where it's asked. How's your week been?" Spencer asked.

"Not bad. Between work, classes and family I've been pretty busy. My sister Kathleen sprung this visit on me last minute so I've been preparing for her visit." Emily explained.

Spencer nodded, glancing down at his menu. "The Ravioli sounds good."

Emily hummed in agreement. "I think I'm going to have the spaghetti and meatballs."

The waiter returned with their drinks. "Ok, here are your lemonades. Are you ready to order?" He asked.

Spencer glanced at Emily who nodded. "Yes, can I have the Ravioli please."

"Of course. And for you miss?" The waiter turned to Emily.

"The spaghetti and meatballs, please." Emily handed over her menu.

"Great. Your food should be about fifteen minutes or so." The waiter informed them before walking away.

Emily leant back in her chair and picked up her drink taking a sip. "So tell me about yourself Spencer."

Spencer blinked. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know." Emily smiled. "What's your favourite colour?"

Spencer smiled. "Really?"

"Really." Emily confirmed. "Mine's purple."

"I like purple too." Spencer agreed.

Emily smiled. "What do you like to do when you're not saving people?" She asked.

"I like to read." Spencer thought. "I enjoy jazz music and various sci-fi and drama television shows." He tapped his hand on the table. "And I enjoy going to museums. Halloween is my favourite time of the year." Spencer added. "What about you?" He asked.

"I like various sports cricket, rugby and gymnastics were the three I played when I was younger. I adore music in every genre. I also like various sci-fi and drama television shows. Spending time with my son and teaching him new things. Reading and drawing have always been two of my favourite pass times. And of course spending time with my family." Emily listed off.

Spencer nodded. "You have quite a big family?"

Emily nodded. "Oh yes. There's ten of us including me and then there are my aunts and uncles so when the whole family gets together in three generations there's a good sixty to seventy of us." She tilted her head to the side. "It can be overwhelming at times but it's also nice to have such a huge support system behind me. And there's never a dull moment." She shook her head.

Spencer smiled. "My dad left us when I was ten, said he couldn't cope with my mother's illness and my mother spent a lot of time bedridden. I had to look after both of us and my peers at school were never very forgiving. I graduated high school when I was twelve." Spencer explained.

Emily gave him a sad smile. "Kids can be cruel." She agreed.

"What about you? What was your high school life like?" Spencer asked her.

"It was good. I wasn't what you'd call popular but I had a good group of friends and a twin brother who was a lightweight boxer so everyone knew not to mess with me and if Emile wasn't threatening enough there were six other brothers and my dad all ready to come to my defence. I met Matt when we were fifteen and we started dating a year later. My best friend Connie is now writing crime novels and even though she has an editor now, she still sends all her finished manuscripts to me first." Emily took another sip of her drink. "What made you decide to join the FBI?" Emily asked him.

Spencer took a sip of his drink while he thought about the answer. "I wanted to help people. I wanted to put away the bad guys. Although I did dream of doing other things, I always hoped I could find a cure for schizophrenia by the time I was thirty, which I didn't. But then I realised that there was just something incredibly right about being in the FBI." He answered with a smile.

Emily found herself smiling back. "I think it's an amazing thing, what you guys do." She admitted. "I'm no where near smart enough to figure things out from such tiny details."

"I'm sure you're smarter than you give yourself credit for." Spencer shook his head.

The waiter returned with their food. "So that's one Ravioli for the gentleman and a spaghetti and meatballs for the lady. Can I get you anything else?" He asked them.

Emily shook her head. "I'm fine thank you."

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"Well just wave me over if you need anything. Enjoy." The waiter left them to their meal.

Emily and Spencer chatted some more over their meals, Emily told him stories of her childhood and the tricks she and her siblings used to play on each other and Spencer told her more about his friends and colleagues and their misadventures capturing serial killers and such.

After dinner, they left the restaurant and made their way towards the theatre.

"Do you have preference on genre?" Spencer asked her.

Emily shook her head. "None at all so long as it's in English. I have a rather short attention span."

Spencer nodded.

They checked what was screening and the only two films available were The Guardians of the Galaxy or How to Train Your Dragon 2. The couple decided on Guardians of the Galaxy and walked into the theatre.

Spencer discovered that Emily was quite the comic book fan during the film. When a character she recognised or the story took a twist or there was a particular action seat, Emily would smile widely and tap her hand on her knee. Spencer found himself watching Emily more than the film.

After the film the two left the theatre and Spencer insisted on walking Emily back to her car. They stopped at the car and Emily turned to Spencer. "I had a lovely time tonight."

Spencer nodded. "Me too. Maybe we can do it again?"

"I'd like that." Emily smiled. "How about lunch sometime in the week?" She asked leaning against her car.

"Yeah. I'll call you?" Spencer asked.

Emily nodded. "Goodnight Spencer."

"Goodnight Emily." Spencer looked down at her lips. Should he kiss her? Did he want to kiss her?

Before he could move Emily reached up on her tip toes and pecked him on the lips. "Night." She got in her car and waved to him before driving off.

Spencer stood on the pavement and smiled to himself, the feel of her lips remained on his even though it was only for a brief moment. Maybe JJ was right. Maybe this time there would only be good ahead.

**And that's another chapter for you all. Thanks for your follows and reviews, more to come soon. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Two chapters in one day, I'm on fire. So there's a bit of a time skip in this chapter because I have a really good idea where this story is going and I wanted to start looking into the relationship a bit more. Thanks for the reviews and follows, they're very encouraging to continue writing. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

Emily sat with her son James on the couch one Saturday afternoon. They were having a Disney marathon since all homework and housework had been down. Enjoying a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies they were halfway through Aladdin when the home phone rang.

"I'll get it." Emily reached over and picked up the cordless phone. "Hello."

"Hello, it's Spencer." Spencer spoke into his phone in the jet bathroom. "I was just wondering if you fancied coming over to mine next Friday for a Doctor Who marathon. We've been called away to another case but we should hopefully be back in time."

Emily smiled. "My calendar is empty."

Months had passed and Emily and Spencer's relationship only seemed to grow the more time they spent together. Spencer still had that niggling feeling that the other shoe was about to drop but he tried to ignore it and just enjoy his time with Emily.

"Great. My place? Say six?" Spencer asked. "I'm providing dinner."

Emily nodded. "Sounds perfect. I'll bring a supply the snacks."

Spencer smiled. "I'll see you then and I'll make sure to text you my address."

"Ok, have a good flight. Stay safe." Emily told him.

Spencer nodded. "You too. Bye."

"Bye." Emily hung up the phone and returned it to it's stand.

James looked up at his mum with curiosity. "Who was that?"

Emily bit her lip, perhaps now was a good time to at least tell James about Spencer. "Well, that was a friend of mine. His name is Spencer. We met on the train and we've been spending some time together." Emily explained.

James smiled and nodded. "Oh ok. Can I meet him?"

"Maybe. Spencer is a special friend like Amelia was a special friend to Daddy and I want to make sure he is as special as he seems first." Emily explained carefully. "But maybe soon."

James nodded. "Ok mum." He turned back to the film. "Mum." James spoke up after a pause of silence. "I'm glad you've got a special friend, he makes you smile more."

Emily kissed the top of her son's hair. "Well that's a special talent that only a few have. But none are better at making me smile than you. You're always going to be my number one guy." Emily told him. "Love you."

"Love you too." James hugged his mum, resting his head on her stomach and the two settled back down to watch the rest of the film.

**Last Train Home**

It was their fifteenth date and Spencer had invited Emily to his house for dinner and a Doctor Who marathon after he'd discovered that she loved the show almost as much as he did. He'd order in knowing his cooking skills were pretty much non existent.

There was a soft knock at the door at six and Spencer walked over to the door opening it to reveal Emily dressed in her usual jeans and a Doctor Who T-Shirt.

"Hi." Spencer stepped aside.

"Hi." Emily walked into the apartment and kissed his cheek. She reached into her bag and pulled out a large bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies. "One bag of homemade choc chip cookies as promised." She smiled at him.

Spencer took them. "They look great. Can I take your… jacket? I'm sorry but it's early December, how are you not cold?" Spencer asked with a smile.

Emily smiled. "I guess I'm just warm blooded, I don't generally wear a winter coat until the first snow." She admitted handing him her jacket. "Shoes off?" She asked.

"Please." Spencer nodded.

Emily toed off her black converse and followed Spencer into his apartment. This was the first time she'd been to Spencer's home and she was nervous but also slightly hopeful the night might go a certain way. Spencer had definitely relaxed around her since that first date when she quickly kissed him goodnight.

Spencer's apartment reflected his personality almost perfectly. There were bookshelves crammed with books, warm and comfortable the whole space seemed cosy and welcoming.

Emily smiled looking at the pictures on his mantle place. There were a few of a much younger Spencer with a woman she guessed was his mother, Spencer with a little boy dressed like him and a huge smile on his face and a few with people she assumed were his co-workers, a woman with blonde hair and a very colourful choice of clothing, a dark skinned man with a cheeky grin and a few other group pictures including one that looked like it had been taken in a karaoke bar.

Spencer had been serving up the Chinese he'd ordered onto plates. He'd gotten the same food they'd ordered on their sixth date when Emily had teased him about his inability to use chopsticks before scooting her chair closer to his and given him a master class. He brought the food into the living room and saw Emily peering at the photos on his mantle.

Emily turned hearing Spencer approach and helped him with the plates taking a seat on the couch, curling her legs underneath her and leaning against the arm rest.

"Where would you like to start?" Spencer asked her, leaving his plate on the couch and opened a cupboard. "I prefer the fourth doctor but I remember you said you were quite the fan of Christopher Eccleston. I haven't actually seen this series yet."

"Then we should certainly start there." Emily nodded. "Eccleston is my favourite Doctor." She explained taking a bite of a spring roll.

Spencer nodded. "I'll have to take your word for it for the moment." He put in the first disc and returned to the couch.

After eating their dinner and munching on Emily's delightful chocolate chip cookie and drinking hot chocolate, the two ended up curled up next to each other on the couch. The final episode of Christopher Eccleston's only season of Doctor Who.

Emily sniffed and wiped her eyes, always feeling sad by the goodbye between Rose and the Doctor which always in Emily's mind had been overshadowed by David Tennant's goodbye in season 2.

The credits rolled and the title menu returned on. Emily looked up at Spencer to see he'd fallen asleep. Emily shifted slightly to sit up and pressed her lips to his.

Spencer had fallen asleep around the end of the final episode when he felt a pair of warm lips against his. He slowly opened his eyes, responding to the lips against his and smiled down at Emily. Spencer swallowed, looking down at the beautiful woman smiling up at him before leaning down and kissing her again, running his hands up and down her waist and pulling her closer into his body, enjoying the warmth that seemed to radiate off her body.

The young couple pulled apart with the need to breathe. Spencer gently rested his forehead against Emily's. "Em… Would you like to stay?" He asked. "With me." He breathed.

"I'd love nothing more." Emily told him.

Spencer smiled and bring her into him for another kiss.

**Last Train Home**

Spencer woke up the next morning in his bed and the first thing he saw was the beautiful woman that had spent the night with him laying in bed next to him. Spencer smiled running his hand up her spine, tracing a gentle pattern on her soft skin. In her sleep Emily had rolled onto her front, tightly hugging her pillow and her face turned away from him.

Emily mumbled something in her sleep and turned to face him. She exhaled deeply and smiled at him. "Mmm. Good morning."

"Good morning." Spencer replied with a smile. He couldn't really believe that this woman, this amazing and beautiful woman had chosen to spend the night with him. He realised that although he had loved Maeve and that nothing could compare to their relationship but his relationship with Emily was also strong, while his relationship with Maeve had been simply based on telephone conversations and one face to face meeting that had ended in tragedy. While his relationship with Emily had steadily grown through physical interaction and trust and getting to know each other over time by spending time together.

"Hey." Emily placed a hand on his chest. "What's going on in that head?"

Spencer shook his head. "Nothing." He pulled her closer to him and kissed her.

Emily giggled and kissed him back.

"Spencer! You home!" A voice called from the living room and the door to the bedroom suddenly opened and Derek Morgan walked into the room.

Emily and Spencer cried out and Spencer quickly grabbed the blanket pulling it over them.

Derek Morgan had stopped by his best friends that morning with the intent on offering him a lift to JJ's BBQ. He had simply let himself in with the spare key Spencer had given him incase of emergency since he'd assumed that Spencer would already be awake. When he'd not seen Spencer about in the kitchen making a cup of coffee or sat on his couch reading a book, he'd not found his friend at all.

"Spencer! You home!" Derek called out in worry and made his way over to the bedroom, opening the door. He stopped in his tracks seeing Spencer on the bed with a young woman.

The couple cried out at the intrusion and Spencer quickly grabbed the sheet pulling it over them. "Derek!" He exclaimed.

Derek cleared his throat. "I… I'm just going to wait out here." He motioned to the living room and closed the door behind him.

Emily pressed her face into Spencer's shoulder and tried to muffle her laughter.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was going to burst in here. Are you ok?" Spencer asked her.

Emily moved away from him and placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry." She sniggered. "I just never thought someone could turn this shade of red." She teased him.

Spencer smiled and shook his head. "You're not mad."

Emily shook her head. "But please lets not make this the way you introduce me to all of your friends." She teased him.

"I can certainly agree to that." Spencer nodded kissing her quickly and getting out of bed, reaching for the clothes he'd been wearing the other night. "Feel free to use my shower, there's towels in the cupboard under the sink and I'll make us some coffee." Spencer rambled panicking because this was not how he'd pictured introducing Emily to Derek or anyone for that matter and he was worried Derek might have gotten the wrong idea.

Emily wrapped the sheet around her and got out of bed. "Hey relax, everything is going to be fine." She promised him.

Spencer nodded. "Sorry. I'm so mortified."

Emily cupped his face in her hand. "Don't be."

Spencer swallowed, feeling incredible respect and love for the woman in front of him. He leant down and kissed her. "You are amazing Emily."

"Well you are quite incredible yourself Spencer." Emily replied with a tilt of her head. "Now maybe you should go and chat with your friend."

Spencer nodded. "Right, yes. Coffee?"

"Coffee would be wonderful." Emily agreed.

Spencer left the bedroom to see Derek in the kitchen already brewing a pot of coffee. Derek looked up at him and gave him a smile. "So this is why you've been in such a good mood recently." Derek eyed his friend.

Spencer nodded. "Her name is Emily. Why the unexpected visit?"

Derek handed him a mug of coffee. "Well I was going to offer a ride to JJ's BBQ. Penelope and I decided to go together so she can have a couple of glasses of wine and I thought you might like a ride." Derek explained.

"So you can have a few beers?" Spencer teased. "Wait did you say you're with Penelope?"

The front door opened and Penelope Garcia walked into the apartment. "What is keeping you two?" She asked looking between the two.

Spencer bit his lip and looked to Derek for help.

Before either man could say anything Emily left the bedroom and almost ran into Penelope. "Oops, sorry." Emily apologised looking over at Spencer in confusion.

Spencer found himself turning a deep shade of red. "Em this is Penelope Garcia. Penelope this is Emily O'Malley… My girlfriend." Spencer introduced them.

Penelope's eyes widened. "You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend." She smacked his arm and turned to Emily. "It's really nice to meet you. This is such a surprise. Are you joining us at the BBQ?" Penelope asked her.

Emily seemed to hold her own and smiled back. "Unfortunately I have plans today."

Spencer walked over to Emily to stand next to her. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I have to go to a dress fitting with my soon to be sister-in-law. She wanted my mother and I to be there since her own family couldn't, they're off doing some charity work in Africa I believe and I'm being forced into the role of maid of honour." Emily explained. "I'll see you Wednesday?" She asked.

Spencer nodded and kissed her quickly.

Emily turned to Spencer's friends with a smile. "It was lovely to meet you both." She checked her watch and saw she had just over an hour to get home, change and get to the dress shop. "Bye." She pecked Spencer on the lips again and hurried from the apartment.

Although Emily had remained calm for Spencer's sake, she was a little frazzled by how the morning had ended. It was not how she imagined being introduced to Spencer's friends and while she could see the funny side of it, she was also rather embarrassed and there was also the fact Spencer had yet to tell any of his friends about her it seemed. Was he embarrassed by her? She was a single mother who had gotten pregnant at a young age and she was no where near as intelligent as he was. Although Emily had not gone telling everyone she knew about Spencer, even when Kathleen had visited she had refrained from telling her much about the man, feeling that it was nice they were keeping their relationship about them and discovering if there was something between them before introducing other people. Spencer had yet to meet James and while she had mentioned to her son that she was seeing someone and that she liked him, Emily had felt it was best to wait until she was completely certain about Spencer before bringing him into James's life incase things didn't work out. A break up was hard enough without having James getting emotionally attached and then having the man leave.

Emily got into her car and drove off, her mind whirling. Her night with Spencer had been rather perfect if a little awkward to begin with. She really cared about Spencer. Emily wasn't entirely sure she was in love with him, she'd only known him for around two months but she knew she felt something for him. Spencer had introduced her as his girlfriend, so clearly he must feel similarly for her. Maybe she was reading too much into it. She should look at the good that had come from the night and how happy she'd been waking up next to Spencer that morning.

She'd always been careful with her heart after Matt. There had been a few casual and blind dates from when James was about four to six that hadn't turned into anything and for the last two year Emily had been content in her life with her little boy and no romantic entanglements had left her cautious.

Emily arrived home and put her phone on to charge as it had gone flat overnight. After a nice hot shower and a few calming breaths Emily left the shower to get dressed. Dressed, Emily sat down on her bed and checked her phone to see a message from Spencer.

**Hi, I really hope this morning hasn't concerned or upset you in anyway. My friend JJ would like to extend an invitation to you for her BBQ once you've finished at the dress fitting. I understand if it's too much and you are unavailable. I just hope things between us are good and that I haven't hurt you in any way. Love Spencer. **

Emily smiled and thought for a moment. James had gone camping with his Dad for the weekend and would not be returning until tomorrow evening and the dress fitting should be done by two o'clock and she wasn't rostered for work at the bar this evening.

**Hi sweetie, I'm not upset or concerned at all. I'd love to join you, the dress fitting should be finished by two so I might be able to be there around three if that is alright with your friend. Everything between us is fine and you have certainly not hurt me. Love Em. **

Emily set her phone on the bed and began to scrunch dry her hair with the hairdryer. Just before she left for the dress shop she rechecked her phone and saw another message.

**That's great. Here's JJ's address. Drop by whenever your ready, I think I'm going to need back up against the interrogation I'm getting about you. Spence.**

Emily smiled and quickly typed a reply.

**Just leaving for the dress fitting now. If I survive the three hours with my mother and soon to be sister-in-law I'll be there around three o'clock. Love Em. **

Emily left the house, shoving her phone into her bag and made her way to her car.

**So Emily is going to officially meet the team in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's another chapter just for you. Hope you enjoy it. **

Emily arrived at the dress shop and was greeted by her mother.

"Emily." Mrs O'Malley pulled her into a warm hug.

"Hi Mum." Emily smiled hugging her back. "Hey Sara." She greeted the woman behind her mother with a small wave. "Ok mum I'm choking not breathing." Emily gasped.

Mrs O'Malley moved back and playfully slapped her daughter's arm. "Still as cheeky as ever." She shook her head.

Emily moved to give her soon to be sister-in-law a hug. "Hey sis."

Sara hugged her. "Hey, thanks for coming."

"No problem. It's not like we've been best friends since pre-school." Emily smiled, nudging her best friend.

A woman walked over to them carrying a tray of champagne mixed with orange juice. "Hello ladies. If you'd like to follow me, we have a few dresses out for you to look at already for both you and your maid of honour." She told Sara with a smile.

The three of them accepted the drinks and followed her into the back room. Mrs O'Malley and Emily took a seat while the woman showed Sara various dresses. Sara went into the changing room and tried on several dresses with little success. Emily stood up and began looking through the dresses out of boredom and that's when she found it.

Sara and Emily had always talked about their perfect wedding and Emily knew the sort of dress Sara would have in mind. "Hey Sara." Emily called, taking the dress of the rail and showing it to her best friend.

"It's perfect." Sara gasped.

The woman took the dress from Emily with a smile. "Would you like to try it on?"

Sara nodded and the two left for the changing room. Sara came out and Emily smiled, it was the perfect dress for her with a heart shaped neckline which was modest but flattering the top part of the dress was corseted and decorated with silver thread and beading in a floral design. The skirt was a silk like cream fabric that folded over itself.

"Darling you look stunning." Mrs O'Malley gushed moving forward to hug her.

"You look beautiful." Emily nodded.

Sara smiled. "This is the dress."

The woman smiled. "Wonderful." She motioned Sara back into the changing room after they had admired the dress for a while longer. They returned with Sara back in her normal clothes and turned to Emily. "Would you like to look through the dresses?"

Sara nodded and pulled Emily towards the bridesmaid's gowns. "Well we know pink is not on your list of loves. Purple might be nice or blue, you'd look great in blue." She began to look at the blue dresses. She passed several to the woman and then moved on to the purple dresses and handed over more.

Ten dresses later and nothing was working.

"This is useless Sara." Emily complained standing in the changing room in her underwear.

"I know you're hating this but just try one more dress." Sara passed Emily a deep blue dress. Emily pulled on the dress and zipped it up. The top of the dress hugged her shape perfectly, strapless with bronze beading around the neckline and a floor length skirt that had an intricate bronze thread design up the front seam.

Emily stepped out of the changing room with a smile. "I think this is the dress."

Sara and her mother gasped.

"Hell yeah. Em you look hot." Sara hugged me.

Mrs O'Malley started crying.

"Mum." Emily smiled and walked over to hug her. "Don't cry, gosh you'd think I was the one getting married." Emily teased her.

Mrs O'Malley smiled. "You never know, he might be right around the corner."

Emily chuckled and kissed her mother's cheek. "Love you mama."

"Love you more." Mrs O'Malley told her.

Emily and Sara put down the deposits on their dresses and left the shop. Emily hugged her friend and her mother.

"I've got to run. Carter and I are meeting friends for lunch. Thank you so much for coming, this really means a lot to me." Sara looked between them.

Mrs O'Malley smiled. "Sara you've been a part of this family long before my son actually found the courage to ask you to marry him."

Sara smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you all for dinner next week?"

"We'll be there." Emily nodded.

Sara got in her car and drove away.

"Now you are coming to dinner tomorrow with James?" Mrs O'Malley asked turning to her daughter with a stern look.

Emily nodded. "We'll be there. Four o'clock right?"

Mrs O'Malley nodded. "Are you alright sweetie? I do worry about you being all on your own. I know Mathew has been very supportive but I wish you two had tried to make things work. When am I going to get to see you in a wedding dress?"

Emily smiled. "Mum you know things wouldn't have worked between Matt and I. And I'm fine. Everything is fine." She told her.

Mrs O'Malley hugged her daughter. "As long as you are. You know a mother worries."

"I do." Emily nudged her. "But I can look after myself and my son. Everything is going to be fine. I'm happy. James is happy. That's all we need."

Mrs O'Malley smiled. "Well I best get home to your father before he burns the house down trying to put a tin can in the microwave." She joked.

"Bye Mum. I'll see you tomorrow." Emily kissed her cheek and got in her car, waving to her mother as she got in her own car and drove off. Emily took out her phone and called Spencer's cell which went through to the answering machine. "Hi sweetie, I'm on my way now. I just have to stop off at the bank. I'll see you soon. Love you, bye." Emily hung up the phone and drove around to the bank.

Emily was stood in the bank waiting for someone to come and see her to take her to her safety deposit box. Suddenly there was a defining bang which was the result of a large explosion. The force knocked Emily back and into the wall, the ceiling collapsed in front of her and Emily heard several screams before she blacked out.

**Last Train Home**

Spencer stepped into JJ's empty dining room and checked his phone to see there was a voice mail from Emily.

"You have one new message. Hey sweetie, I'm on my way now. I just have to stop off at the bank. I'll see you soon. Love you, bye. End of message, received today at 2:45pm."

Spencer frowned and looked down at his watch, that was nearly two hours ago. Panic set in. Something bad had happened. The other show had dropped. Had she been mugged? Was the bank being robbed and she was being held hostage? Was there an accident? Could she be lying brain dead in a hospital? Or had she been kidnapped and this morning was the last time he would ever see her?

Spencer hit the call back button and tapped his foot impatiently while the phone rang out. "Come on Em, please answer your phone." He muttered.

"You've reached my automated vocal decoy, leave a message and I'll get back to you."

Spencer gripped his phone tightly and resisted the urge to throw it across the room.

"Spence." JJ walked into the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"Emily left me a voice mail. She said she was going to the bank but that was nearly two hours ago JJ and now she's not answering her phone." Spencer ran a hand through his hair. "I told you something bad was going to happen. It always does."

JJ rushed forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, hey. We don't know that yet. We're going to figure this all out, I promise. She might just be caught in traffic and her phone has lost battery. Lets not assume the worst just yet."

Just then Will poked his head around the door. "Honey I'm going to have to go. Work just called, a bomb has gone off at one of the banks in town and they need everyone available off shift to come and help out." He explained.

Spencer's face went incredibly pale.

Hotch moved in behind Will. "We're on it too. It appears that this isn't the first to happen they think it's to do with a series of bank robberies but the explosions have been incredibly controlled and minor unlike this need us to work on a profile."

JJ nodded. "We'll be there in a second."

Hotch glanced at Spencer before nodding and left with Will.

"Spence. You need to breathe, it might be a completely different bank. We don't know if she's in there yet." JJ tried to comfort and reassure him.

"I can't lose her too JJ." Spencer shook his head.

**Last Train Home**

Emily woke up to her ears ringing and her head pounding. She opened her eyes and saw she was at the far end of the bank, but a huge part of the bank's ceiling had collapsed in front of her blocking off any exit. Emily forced herself into a sitting position and looked around her, there were four other people in the same area as her, a man was half buried under the rubble, a security guard was passed out not far from her, a man who was bleeding from his head knelt beside a conscious, heavily pregnant woman sat on the floor near the register. Emily pushed herself to stand and walked over to them.

"Hi. Are you hurt?" Emily asked them.

"No but… My baby." The woman screwed up her face in pain. "It's coming."

Emily nodded and knelt down. "Ok, what's your name?"

"It's Gemma. Are you a doctor? The ceiling just collapsed." Gemma sobbed.

"Are you two together?" Emily looked up at the man.

The man shook his head. "No. My name is Tony." He introduced himself.

"Well my name's Emily." She introduced herself. "How far apart are your contractions?"

"Every ten minutes or so." Gemma answered. "We're all going to die aren't we?"

Emily shook her head. "Not on my watch." She promised. "Are you ok for a second while I check on everyone else and see if we can't find a more comfortable place and a first aid kit for you both?" Emily asked.

Gemma nodded. "I think so."

"Ok, I'll be right over there." Emily motioned to the unconscious security guard, standing up and turned to Tony. "I know this is scary, I'm going to do everything I can to help. I'm not a doctor but I have plenty of training for situations like this. I know what I'm doing. I need you to keep her calm and keep an eye on her contractions." Emily told him.

Tony nodded. "I can do that."

Emily smiled back. "Good man. Keep an eye on those contractions, when they're only a few minutes apart shout me." She walked over to the man. "Hello. Sir. Can you hear me?" I called to him.

The man groaned and opened his eyes. "What happened?"

"There was some kind of explosion." Emily explained. "Are you hurt? Do you feel any pain?" She asked calmly. Emily's mother was a retired paramedic who had trained her daughter extensively in first aid and how to remain calm in stressful situations. Her father was a retired cop and had given her lessons in self defence and how to handle a gun.

The man shook his head. "My head and my shoulder." He replied and flinched. "I think it's dislocated." He shifted.

Emily nodded and moved to examine his shoulder. "Yeah this is dislocated. Is there a first aid kit around?" She asked looking around.

"Behind the tills under the desk." He motioned to the till.

"Ok, I'll be right back." Emily jumped to her feet and ran over to the tills, vaulting over them and found the first aid kit. There was another woman unconscious dressed in a bank uniform behind the tills and a man in civilian clothing, both were unconscious but had strong pulses and were breathing. Deciding to check on them once she'd helped the security guard, Emily jumped back over the tills and hurried around to the security guard.

The security guard was playing with his mobile radio. "Hello, can anyone hear me?" He called over the radio. Static was the only response.

Emily knelt down beside him. "Any luck?"

"None." The security guard answered. "I don't know what happened. Is anyone else hurt?"

"We've got one lady who has gone into labour, there's a man with a head injury with her, two more behind the tills, they're unconscious and breathing and one dead half buried beneath the rubble." Emily listed off. "What's your name?"

"Leon. This is my first day." He shook his head.

Emily smiled. "You picked a hell of a first day." Emily opened the first aid bag and moved to his side. "How'd you get into the security business?" She asked examining his shoulder more closely than before.

"My wife thought it would be safer. I just left the arm… AH!" Leon screamed as Emily pushed his shoulder back into place. "Couldn't give a guy some warning?"

"Sorry." Emily gave him a guilty smile and rested his arm in a sling. She checked his head and wrapped gauze around the cut adding padding to the back of his head where there was a big, four inch cut. "Any double vision? Blurred vision?" Emily asked.

Leon shook his head. "No. Just a pounding headache."

Emily smiled. "Well that cut looks like it's going to need stitches. You going to be ok?"

"Yes. Do you need any help? I have some medical training myself." Leon answered.

"I'm going to need a safe and comfortable place for our mother to be. That baby is going to come soon and I don't think this is the best place. Do you know anywhere in the bank?"

Leon nodded. "There's a meeting room over there. It's got a couple of cushioned seats and is a good distance from the blast." He explained.

"Think you can walk?"

Leon nodded.

"Ok, come with me and bring your radio." Emily picked up the first aid kit and they both walked over to the young couple. "How you doing Gemma?"

"Ok. Considering." Gemma smiled at her.

Emily nodded. "Do you think you can walk?" Emily asked her softly.

Gemma nodded.

"Ok, this is Leon, he's going to show you to a meeting room where we can get you more comfortable. How's that head Tony?" Emily asked the young man.

"Fine." Tony waved her off.

Emily nodded. "Well I'd like to get it clean and bandaged. If you and Leon can help Gemma into the meeting room, I'm going to check on the two people behind the tills and we can bring them into the meeting room too, that way we're all together." Emily explained.

Tony nodded. "Come on Gem." He helped Gemma to her feet and he and Leon took her into the meeting room.

Emily jumped over the till to see the woman awake and shaking the man. The woman looked up when Emily appeared.

"Go away." The woman yelled.

Emily raised her hands. "I just want to help. What's your name?" She asked calmly.

The woman grabbed a gun from inside the man's jacket pocket and pointed it at Emily. "I said go away." She snarled.

Emily kept her hands up. "Ok, well I'm not going away while someone is hurt. So why don't you lower the gun and let me help your friend." She told the woman.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this." The woman shook her head.

"Look I don't care what was supposed to happen. I'm not a cop. But your friend could be hurt and I need to make sure he's going to be ok." Emily told the young woman.

The woman lowered the gun. "Ok." She moved back.

Emily moved forward and checked the guys vitals. "Hello, sir, can you hear me?"

The man groaned and opened his eyes. "What happened? Where's Lisa?"

"She's right here." Emily turned to the young woman. "Are you hurt?" She asked him checking for any head injuries.

With a loud shout, the man tackled Emily and pushed her onto her back, hitting her hard on the right side of her cheek, her head snapped back into the floor. Emily's vision swam and pain crushed into her skull. She tried to bring her legs up and kick the guy and push him off her but he hit her again this time in the stomach.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and the man fell backward off her, screaming and clutching his shoulder. Emily turned and saw Leon aiming his gun at the woman, Lisa. "Drop the weapon." He ordered.

Lisa looked at the man and he nodded. Lisa dropped the gun.

"Now push it over to me." Leon ordered.

Emily managed to get up and grip the side of the till, she reached down and gripped the gun. Leon moved past them and handcuffed Lisa and the man together. "Get up." He pulled them to their feet. "You ok?" Leon asked.

Emily nodded, wiping blood from her chin. "Yeah, nothing I can't handle. What are we going to do with Bonnie and Clyde here?" She asked.

Leon frowned. "I'll handcuff them to the railing at the till, that should hold them until they get us out of here." He motioned to the metal piping.

"Ok. I'm going to check on Gemma, can you handle these two?" Emily asked.

Leon nodded.

Emily climbed over the till, taking the spare gun and the first aid kit and walked away to the meeting room. She set the gun down on the table and knelt beside Gemma who was propped up on the floor against the couch with pillows behind her. Emily opened the first aid kit and put on a pair of disposable gloves. "How're you doing there Gemma?"

Gemma nodded. "I'm good."

"How're your contractions?" Emily asked.

"Every few minutes now." Tony answered from where he was stood in the corner.

Emily nodded. "Ok, we're going to need to get you out of these jeans." Emily smiled at her. "Tony I'm going to need your help, can you come and sit by Gemma's head for me?"

Tony nodded and walked over to sit by Gemma's head.

Emily helped Gemma out of her jeans and underwear. "Ok, I'm going to check how much you're dilated." Emily explained to her.

Gemma nodded and spread her legs.

"Ok, you're ten centimetres dilated, on your next contraction it's going to be time to push." Emily told her, seeing she was close to another contraction. "Just breathe for me Gemma. Now big push." Emily told her.

Gemma cried out and pushed hard.

Emily smiled. "The baby's crowning."

Gemma pushed again and screamed, she rested her head back and shook her head. "I can't do it. I can't do it." She cried.

Emily gave her a soft smile. "You can sweetie. Look at me. You're baby is almost here. One more push. You can do it." She told them.

Gemma leant forward and pushed hard.

Emily smiled. "Ok we've got a head. We're nearly there.. One more push Gemma." She told the young woman. Another few minutes passed and Emily held a baby girl in her arms. "It's a girl Gemma." She wrapped the baby in her jacket and passed the baby to her mother.

Gemma smiled down at her baby. "Hi. Thank you." She thanked Emily.

"It's my pleasure." Emily told her.

"Emily. I've got through, there's someone here wanting to talk to you." Leon called.

Emily smiled at Gemma. "I'll be right back." Emily stood up and walked into the main area of the bank.

Leon smiled at her and handed her the radio.

"Hello, this is Emily O'Malley speaking." Emily spoke into the radio.

"Emily, oh thank you." Spencer's voice came over the radio. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine sweetie. What's it like on your side?" Emily asked.

"We're working to get you out of there but there's a lot of rubble, the fire department are working hard, they should be there soon. How's it going in there?" Spencer asked, relief that she was ok.

Emily smiled. "We've got a mother and a newborn but they both have good vitals. We've also got a man with a bullet wound but he's fine and his partner, I think they were planning to rob the bank but the explosion was miscalculated." Emily explained down the phone.

Spencer frowned. They're profile said that there were at least three people involved in the robbery. "Is there anyone else with you?" He asked her.

"Another man with a head wound but nothing serious." Emily told him.

"Em our profile says there's another bank robber. Be careful he…"

A shot rang out.

Spencer's heart froze. "Emily. Emily!" He yelled down the radio but there was no answer.

**The End…**

**Sorry for the evil cliff hanger but it had to be done. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come soon. **


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